Political aspirants must bare all
Published:Saturday | October 15, 2011 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir: The scepticism that most people harbour towards politics and the belief that politicians are all corrupt are grounded in the objective facts that they observe daily and the rumours and allegations that swirl in the public sphere regarding the ill-gotten and rapidly accumulated wealth of our elected officials.
The apathy and rejection that flow have caused some of our bright and committed young people to shy away from representational politics, fearing that their reputation would be tarnished.
The need to attract some of our brightest young minds is most glaring. The present cadre of political leaders comprises the majority of persons who ought to be considering their exit strategy, if they have not yet done so.
To be successful at any effort to make the body politic more attractive, some simple but fundamental steps must be taken. These must send clear signals to the society that it is not business as usual, and every effort must be made to identify and root out the corrupt politicians. The following are recommended as initial steps:
1. A full declaration by the leaders of both political parties of their personal financial status for the last 10 years. All assets must be declared. This declaration must include spouses' and trust accounts. We cannot trust leader who is unwilling to establish clear and unquestionable trust with us. We are not asking for our leaders to be wealthy; we are asking for them to be trustworthy.
2. A full declaration of all directorships held in privately held companies.
3. In the case of persons serving more than 10 years in elected office, there must be declaration of the amount and sources of all gifts and honorariums received since being elected.
Those who seek to lead must not hide behind the veil of secrecy; instead, they must boldly stand in the glaring light of transparency, accountability and integrity. It is time our leaders tell the people the truth.
ANDREA IRVING
Kingston